Folks,I spent some time yesterday afternoon at the annual Rail Fair run by the Society at Ardenwood farm at Fremont, CA.For one weekend eachyear they advance their technology from horse cars to steam locomotive. They were running a tiny HK Porter 0-4-0T with a newly built tender which mostly added to the amount of water the engine could carry along the one mile of tract on the grounds.I can't find the engine in the California section of the Conrad book. Was told it was built in 1889, 1899 ahd 1910. Anybody know its history?The other steam operation on the property was a large traction engine pulling a farm wagon. We were toting my 90 year old mother -in-law in her wheel chair and I was impressed aabout how well the crew got her on and off the train--no hastle --no bother! Good work folks!The Society has restored a West Side Lumber flat car by replacing all the wood. There are no stake pockets on the car, looks a bit empty without bu I was told that is the way they built them.Ted Miles

Ted et. all;There are some nice pictures of both on the NGDF at: http://www.ngdiscussion.net/cgi-bin/NGD ... d=64272Now, the locomotive you are asking about is Sacramento Brick #1, currently at the Nevada County Historical Society Transportation Museum, Nevada City, CA. I don't recall where it was when Conrad's book was printed, but look up H.K. Porter 1098/1889 in the index by builder in the back of Volume Two, and it will tell you page number it is found on. (I am typing this during lunch at work, and my directories are at home.)A downright "cute" locomotive. The traction engine is quite the opposite, a Best steam tractor. With a vertical boiler and a rating of 110 HP, it is larger than most traction engines you would see.The one you saw is 185/1904, and is normally based at Ardenwood Historical Farm, Fremont, CA. There are thought to be six of these across the country; the one at Ardenwood is probably the best preserved and one of three still running, at least until recently. Another one, named "Old Dinah", is on display at Furnace Creek Ranch, St 190, Death Valley, CA; they attempted to use it to replace the 110(?) mule trains used to haul the borax out of Death Valley; but it did not work out.-James Hefner Hebrews 10:20a Surviving World Steam Project

The link below will take you to the little critter, as displayed on steamlocomotive.info. We have it in the wrong place, I think, but that can be fixed tonight.http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=182Regards,Doug

Doug,Location should be Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum, Nevada City, CA. Same goes for the Heisler (ex-Richardson Lumber #1). Hal Wilmunder willed the Heisler to the museum, and the Porter is on a 5-year loan to the museum from his son.

Will take care of the changes tonight. I can't get to the database maintenance tools from where I am today. Thanks Ed!

James,thank you for the construction number!James is right; if you have the Conrad books all you need to find any locomotive is the construction number. You don't need to know the location then or now.The trend is moving from private ownership to museum ownwership. as in this case both of Hal Wilmundinger's engines went to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum. Another recent move was Robert Dollar Shay 2978 long stored at the Western Railway Museum and now has a new home at the Roots of Motive power in Willits, California and inside storage at that! See page 231 in Conrad.Ted Miles